California Hit By Largest Earthquakes in Almost 20 Years
Southern California was struck on Thursday and Friday by two of the largest earthquakes in the last 20 years. California is in an area known for earthquakes, but they have been fairly quiet until recently. Thursday’s earthquake had a magnitude (strength) of 6.4, and the one on Friday measured 7.1. That means Friday’s earthquake was about ten times as strong as Thursday’s.
The shaking was felt strongly through Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. It even reached Arizona, Nevada, and Northern Mexico. Some buildings and roads were damaged. Though a few people were injured, no deaths have been reported. Experts believe more earthquakes could follow soon.
Record Temperature of 90º F (32º C) in Alaska
This has been an unusually hot time in Alaska. In 100 years of weather records, the hottest temperature ever set in Anchorage, Alaska was 85º Fahrenheit (F) (29.5º Celsius (C)). But last week, as temperatures in Alaska kept climbing, that record kept getting broken. On Thursday, Anchorage reached a high of 90º F (32º C). Several other Alaskan cities also broke records.
The month of June was the hottest ever in Alaska – much hotter than average. That makes the 16th straight month of above-average temperatures in Alaska. The heat wave comes at the same time as a long dry period. This has made the air bad to breathe. Because of this, and worries about wildfires, Anchorage cancelled its July 4 fireworks display. Fireworks could not be sold or used in much of the state.
Guadalajara Hail Storm
A strange mid-summer hail storm left the city of Guadalajara, Mexico covered with hail. The massive dumping of the icy droplets piled up on the ground over 3 feet (1 meter) high.
The storm was especially unusual because it has not been cold in Guadalajara. Recently temperatures have been around 90º F (32º C). About 60 houses were damaged. The hailstones were small, so the damage was not too great. But the city and the Mexican army had to put a lot of effort into digging people out.
US Air Force Drops Dummy Bombs on Florida
In Florida, things larger than hailstones were falling from the sky. The US Air Force dropped three fake bombs on Florida by accident after a jet was struck by a bird. The bombs were used for training and were only meant to give off smoke, not to explode.
The three 25-pound (11.3-kilogram) bombs were attached to the wing of an A-10C Thunderbolt II jet. It is not clear how they were dropped, but it’s possible the bird struck a cable which released the bombs. Though the bombs are not dangerous, the Air Force said that if anyone finds the bombs, they should simply report the bombs, and not touch them.